Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

Making of a hole new kayak ((surfski)

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Topic5087.aspx

By staffan_w - 2/27/2013 11:56:34 PM

Hi!
I'm from Sweden and found this really interesting forum just now.
I'm doing a lot of adventure racing and paddling is one of the main parts in competitions.
So, i would really like to make my own kayak, but this one will be like a surfski, something like this;

http://fatpaddler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/P1000468.jpg

I have a few questions I hope someone can help me with:
First, I would like to build a boat as light as possible, in carbon fiber / kevlar. How thick should have the hull and deck.
Then I do not know if it is possible to make use of rasin infusion technology or whether to try to vacuum bag. I am puzzled, however, if you have time to wet-laying the entire hull and then on the vacuum bag before the rasin time to solidify.
If one would use rasin infusion, how often you need to outsource distribution tubing to cover the entire hull?
Then I also wonder how best to put together the hull and deck. I saw the movie on kayak repair and which used some form of kevlar tape. Is it the best thing to use or is there something else?
Hm, these issues are perhaps slightly messy but I am so grateful for all the help I can get.
Thanks in advance,
Staffan, Sweden
By panda - 8/3/2015 3:00:59 PM

Typical layup for a kayak like this would be 200g carbon, foam core, 200g carbon with added reinforcement where needed for example the nose and the cockpit area.  I believe that the deck and hull are joined using some sort of lap joint and bonded together, finishing off the seam with gelcoat and a seam tape of glass or kevlar flat braid.  

Infusion spiral and pump I'm sure someone else has better knowledge than me but it can be easily done with hand layup and bagging after to get a kayak around 10kg of this sort.

Spiral I would guess runs down the centre line of the hull for resin inlet and a ring around the flange to draw resin towards the pump evenly.  Any pump (within reason) that will draw close to full vacuum will be appropriate for this.

Hope this helps, I can take some pictures the next time we build some racing kayaks and post them up if I remember to show how we seam them.

Tom